Dale Jr. Download: Rusty Wallace Reveals His Worst Decision

NASCAR champion Rusty Wallace opens up to Dale Earnhardt Jr. about how his decision to retire affected him for years to come, if he raced Dale Jr. harder than others and how he wasn't a good teammate.
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[@jessicacopeland1644]

Rusty Wallace's last Charlotte race, was the last race my father attended. He was dying with cancer. Hot as hell outside, morphine pump on his hip... meds wouldn't even let him enjoy a beer to cool down. He insisted we go. He bought me a Rusty's farewell jersey... but it was really Dad's farewell.... from Nascar, and from life. Enjoy the ride, Rusty!

[@darksu6947]

😥

[@jordanhannah5839]

Wow this got me. God bless you.

[@austindenotter19]

May God bless you and keep your fathers soul.

[@chevy4x466]

U should tell rusty this. It’s pretty great u could have some wonderful last moments with ur father

[@erikl827]

Oh man this hits hard. Sorry bud! You all got to enjoy something special together

[@marknoble5495]

Seemed like when drivers like Mark and Rusty retired, it was the beginning of the end for me watching NASCAR.

[@default123default2]

End of an era. All good things come to an end

[@daleliske1926]

I have to agree. Once Dale Sr. Passed. I naturally went to Jr. He didn't have the same success as his dad, and when he called it quits. I pretty much stopped watching nascar. I do applaud Dale Jr. for his continued support for nascar and his current Dirty Mo show. He's still part and supportive of his family tradition of racing.!it's no wonder why he was the most popular person in racing after his dad's death.

[@wrightbrent73]

Same here

[@jaysantos536]

Mark and Rusty were mid pack drivers at best. Rarely competitive at all.

[@wrightbrent73]

@@jaysantos536 ok son

[@bparks_5095]

Rusty is one of my favorite drivers of all time, could listen to him tell stories for hours! Thanks for having him on Dale!

[@WhistleTeets85]

He was my favorite driver. I stopped caring about NASCAR after he retired.

[@wrightbrent73]

Mine too

[@kylefunderburk4194]

Two things while watching this clip and scrolling through Racing Reference: 1. Rusty Wallace had a pretty good 2005 season and I think he could have competed at a high level for at least another year. 2. I'm really nostalgic for those 1990 Busch Series schedules. The series raced at Nashville Fairgrounds, Hickory, Nazareth, Pikes Peak, Milwaukee, Myrtle Beach, South Boston, IRP and Gateway that year.

[@martymclochlin4836]

I agree, Rusty could have competed for a few more years and hell I think he coulda still won some races. Miss all the boys from the winston cup days.

[@068dirtboy]

No way. Hes out of his mind. He retired a great time.

[@User-nu6km]

RIP rusty

[@yeingsterable]

@@User-nu6km He's not dead!

[@DerrickRG]

@@User-nu6km You're an idiot.

[@chandlerwhite8302]

He was very competitive the year he retired. Could have definitely won again at Bristol or Martinsville.

[@kidwave1]

Here is a truth, ...Dale Jr's podcast is infinitely more entertaining than actually watching a NASCAR race these days.

[@airwolf269]

True that. I watch more older racing back in the Dale Sr & Rusty rivals. That was racing. Today its a kid show with Nascar leading them down the hell hole. Ever in the both has not been anywhere near of the past. As one broadcaster said "Ringing the bell and blowing the whistle". Nascar past Quiz Who said it and what track was it.

[@MrMiD.Life.Crisis]

Yeh youre 10000% right. It talks about when NASCAR was great. Hope youre good man.

[@ShaunHensley]

No question

[@dinsmore1994]

thats because we watched nascar for jr ;)

[@Rob_Basich]

My thoughts exactly! Life long Earnhardt fan, but I retired from Nascar with Dale Jr. lol. Still love the history.

[@slickchick5811]

always loved Rusty, he seems so real and straightforward.

[@DavidJ867]

Rusty's spot on about the teammate thing. Drivers like him, Ricky Rudd, Dale Earnhardt and to a lesser extent, Dale Jarrett didn't adapt well to having teammates because they all started racing in NASCAR in the era when all teams (except Hendrick) were single car operations.

[@slickchick5811]

interesting point

[@shaunstrasser1]

You forgot Roush

[@racerguy6979]

So cool to see just how much Rusty loves racing. Runs in his veins you can see him beam when he talks

[@mcdaddy0000]

Good video. Would sure like to see Mark Martin on here...

[@Rinku588]

mcdaddy0000 yes! Love to have Mark Martin share some old dirt stories/IROC series

[@alanharris8282]

Draft qualifying sucks

[@jim394]

Dale Jr was one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR history Mark Martin was one of the most respected drivers in NASCAR history He'd be great for the show!

[@DLKnightstick1989]

@@jim394 They need to get ol' Awesome Bill on there too if they haven't already if we wanna talk about most popular drivers in history.

[@Rob_Basich]

I'd also like to see Mark on here. And Carl Edwards. We have questions! lol

[@stevensrspcplusmc]

Loved the rivalry rusty and dale had and they were still friends 😊👍

[@82ndAbnVet]

That's the way it was with those old school drivers. They understood that it was all business on race day and they never took it personal. I truly believe Dale's death had a lot to do with Rusty's retirement. He didn't seem the same after that.

[@BeazleyStudios]

I love how there is a panel with Clyde Torkel's Chicken Pit Special hanging in the back. Givin' some Stroker Ace love.

[@juhawks37]

I think one of the best things about Dale's show is that he sits back and listens to his guests. Him and Mike both. Very little interruptions.

[@mulehead3697]

Glad rusty is still so honest. I like that , I and wish more drivers were as honest/real!!!

[@greenhorn223]

Rusty is the man and always will be the man. He was my driver from 86 to 05 when he retired. He is a honest as the day is long. You don’t find that these days. Thank you Dale Jr for having him on. My driver these days is Harvicks since 05 he is the most driver like Rusty was in his hay days. I know jr doesn’t like Harvock but it’s all good with me. Thank you again Dale Jr for the podcast and the tv stuff your great at it.

[@dynamicdopamine]

I've been a Rusty Wallace fan since I was a very small child I am 40 years old now. I started pulling for him when he was driving the number 27 Kodak car. I'll never forget those days! Especially the Miller Genuine Draft black and gold number 2. My dad was always a Earnhardt senior fan so whenever I started racing go karts, my racing number was 32 and it's always been that way. My dream is to one day meet Rusty Wallace and just talk to him. I would love to have a beer or two with him especially Dale Earnhardt Jr that would be cool to drink a beer with Junior. I will tell you I have the utmost respect for Kelly Earnhardt.. she found out about what happened to me and my family and let's just say she took care of me very generously! Something I will never forget and if I ever get the chance to thank her face to face that would be amazing, I want to give her a big hug so bad. But anyways, man I would give anything to seriously meet Rusty Wallace that would complete my life Journey in racing

[@DougHanchard]

Thanks for having Rusty Wallace on your podcast. Those were the days!

[@slabathonfury3879]

This is why he was my childhood hero. A vicious competitor to the end.

[@AcesnEights698]

There's never a perfect time to hang it up. But everyone's time comes. The fact that Rusty walked away from Nascar is a blessing after some of his scary moments.

[@debrawardlaw4558]

So true. He did have some horrific crashes. I was thankful when he retired and came out and still with us unlike Dale Sr. That one still hurts. I had to retire due to illness from nursing and I understand it takes a long time to leave your career but there is a time.

[@pokeboi5438]

@@debrawardlaw4558at least he went out on somewhat of a high, making the chase top 10 in points

[@waynerexford5534]

Rusty it broke my heart when you quit you were my driver

[@anthonyd.9314]

I basically stopped watching nascar when Rusty retired I can't even name 5 racers today but I can watch races from the 90's and name almost everyone and I was a kid in the 90's loved it back then

[@LopakaRC]

Guys, I can’t thank you all enough for doing these podcasts (Especially videoing them). I have spent the better part of the last 30 years trying to meet Rusty and just shake his hand and thank him for all the years of shear entertainment and enjoyment he gave me. Getting to watch podcasts like this almost makes me feel like I’m there, and that means more to me than you will ever know. From the very depths of my heart and soul, thank you.

[@WastdTrashPanda]

Dude's a fucking legend

[@adamtereska8734]

Bill Elliott would be EPIC. Especially making him explain how he made up 2 laps UNDER green and winning Talladega on 5/5/85.

[@reginaldhall6871]

I was at that race. Elliot ran the field down twice with no drafting help.

[@austindenotter19]

Fastest ever.

[@chipwhite7170]

I remember rusty's favorite car named midnite

[@adamtereska8734]

He has it in his personal collection of his favorite race cars.

[@adamtereska8734]

@G hrvyck yes, and even though Midnight never raced with a Taurus body, it sits in one of Rusty Wallace's dealerships with a 2000-2005 body.

[@misterstaple]

KING of Short tracks

[@wygamer2_22wyominggamin9]

Rusty was my guy hated to see him retire. Never was really a Jr. but this was great to watch, seems like Jr is more relaxed and doesn't sound like he's not trying to figure out what not to say. Seemed like his interviews while he was racing he was always trying to keep the press from pressing him for more then he wanted to talk about.

[@josephbalachick1879]

Knew I still love Rusty for a real NASCAR reason

[@marydee658]

So sorry Rusty....I sure do miss you!!!! NASCAR racing has never be the same. ❤️ you!

[@rh3309]

There needs to be a 125 Sr Veteran's cup exhibition race at Daytona each year so we can see these great old timers tear it up on more time.

[@cajunwarrior47]

Rusty is a legend. I always hated Ford drivers but i always liked Rusty.

[@Lazyboy51]

Luckily he wasn't always lol. Penske was Pontiac for a while!

[@smoke3571985]

rusty was my driver till he went to ford but i always liked him even after. If he stayed with pontiac i don't know if i would be as big of a dale earnhardt fan that i became?

[@T.N.D.88]

And Rusty never won a championship in a Penske Ford... Rusty is cool dude though.

[@superbird4351]

I never understood why Penske left Pontiac after 93. Rusty won 13 races in 3 years and nearly won the championship in 93. I guarantee he would’ve won another championship. Those Pontiacs were slick as hell back then.

[@leviticus8930]

@@superbird4351 at the end of 1993 Nascar started decreasing the height of the spoiler. The Pontiac had the shortest rear decklid making it a huge disadvantage having that car. Plus GM at the time was getting rid of Buick and Oldsmobile. I guess they thought Pontiac was next. Although if they struggled through 94, the new model Pontiac that made Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart competitive would have been a good option.

[@OpenRoader]

I'm from California and NASCAR didn't hit us hard until Cal Speedway was built. A few years before I saw my first full NASCAR race on TV. Rusty put the fender to everyone. It was a full race fist fight and he took the win and it was the most exciting thing I had ever seen. After that, I was hooked. Also, I drink Miller beer, so, there's that LOL Thanks RW for all those years of great racin'

[@DeBa1226]

Class Act, an All Time Great. Rusty had a lot of fight, a lot of grit. Loved that guy.

[@Rammstein45]

I miss seeing all the legends out on the track together.

[@thomasturner9524]

They put on some good shows

[@UnkleJustin]

Well Rusty, now you know that you taught Junior real well!! We miss Rusty out here for his birthday weekend at Watkins Glen N.Y.

[@jimulm8749]

Hmm looks like a face lift....

[@normanspruill8844]

Let Elliott, Wallace,and Martin run a team together. Open a can of W

[@TonyWud]

This interview changed my mind about Rusty. I like him now. Thanks for a lot of great racing memories, best of luck to you. Good job Dale and Mike. At 2:53 you tell Dale's missing it.

[@suehinze1566]

It was a sad day when RW retired. He was our family's favorite back in the day. I can still hear my then 2 year old daughter cheering for Wawace." lol she had all the Rusty Wallace hot wheels, too. She's 30 years old now. It's been a while. Why does it seem like the old generation racers kept racing into their 60s, and now they all retire earlier? With how much safer the cars are now, I'd think they would retire later. Also, it would be so cool to see Nascar start a series for the older, retired guys to go back and race if they want. The Retro series. Nothing too fast, maybe run a few times a month, no big investments, aarp as sponsors. I think it would bring a lot of people out to the tracks.❤

[@dangabor8585]

I could listen to Rusty gab for days...

[@randyl1224]

More , more and if possible MORE

[@mattychamberlin]

Rusty is so awesome. Love to hear his stories

[@MyDogFulton]

I remember Mark Martin and Rusty were named the sports illustrators athletes of the year. Feels like forever ago but those were awesome days.

[@alwaysopen7970]

Martin drove a Stroh's car and Richmond drove a Milwaukee's Best car.

[@DeBa1226]

Gotta bring in AJ Foyt for a big interview.

[@corymcdermott5096]

Damn, I love hearing the candid interviews here! Rusty sucked at being a racing team mate, but he is awesome at being one in an interview. Love this stuff. Keep the Legends coming, Dale!!!

[@PYLrulz1984]

Then again, he came up in a time where if you had a teammate, it was generally a case where you’re still THE man. I can get the mentality he had at that time.

[@jeremyvoegeli5644]

Dale jr I been watching you your whole career and have always been a big fan of you,but I gotta say I love your podcast.they are entertaining and just awesome.i love hearing stories about your dad,nascar,the friendships you have made racing and in life.im super proud of you for your racing career and now your post racing career.keep up the good work.oh I almost forgot me you and Brett favre have the same birthday 10-10 buddy

[@RustyWells2]

Damn I forgot how straightforward Rusty is he doesn't hold back!

[@thekevinharvick]

It'd be nice to see him race longer..even though i never really watched him much it'd been cool

[@The.Real.Timmii]

How to interview a Wallace, Waltrip, Bodine... put a microphone in front of them...

[@throwingsparks]

Timmi ....”story Telling” is a gift and that bunch surely has it!

[@chandlerwhite8302]

Just point them in the direction you want and they will talk for hours.

[@jeffrogers2180]

I didn't miss a race from the time he was in the Kodiak car, and I haven't watched a single race since he retired.

[@slyguythreeonetwonine3172]

Mark Martin pulling away from early retirement *almost* makes up for him trying to enter victory lane one lap early. Man I miss all these guys. This was racin'.

[@rcknrllfreak]

I loved Rusty as kid and I still love him

[@buffystclair9042]

Back when I started watching it was Winston Cup. I always brought souvenirs back from the track. One year , each of my 3 daughters got T shirts . Oldest daughter got the Dale sr #3 shirt, one twin got the Kellogs # 5 Terry Labonte shirt and the red head twin got Rusty fire suit shirt. It was Rusty’s body up to the neck with the words “ When I grow up I wanna be like Rusty” She genuinely loved her shirt more than the others liked theirs. Couldn’t hardly get it off her back to wash!

[@d-raycitypunk5447]

Love this pod cast its awesome good ole rusty

[@DNR5586]

I had a funny feeling Rusty retired early. Great interview, love these podcasts!!

[@milkweed85]

I grew up loving Rusty and the #2 team. Thanks for this ;) Allison fan here

[@ronniecardy]

Last time I saw you it was Have A nice day Cafe 😊 that was one of the best time my friends and myself was there in Indianapolis thanks for the good times

[@poppyneese1811]

Rusty was such a competitor, he’d scrap toe to toe with the Intimidator and they were so fun to watch, both great drivers, but I think they respected each other’s abilities!!!

[@pervotheclown2199]

Rusty Wallace and Ricky Rudd !!!! Loved seeing Nascar in the 90s . ( Wallace and Rudd got into each other more than once Lol )

[@jamesrobert7155]

When Rusty quit I quit watchin, I was a fan since he drove the old Kodiak car. Him and Dale (Sr.) had some good uns !!

[@danielmoorefield4891]

I actually understand why he said Daytona 500 mistake while calling Indy in 2006 on ABC when Hornish beat Marco. He missed it. Yeah he and Newman did not get along. You could tell by 2004 at Fall Martinsville. Once he retired enter Kurt Busch from Roush.

[@jeffyoder8105]

And I miss all the stories about the good ol'boys and good ol'days

[@dennisbowen452]

How weird would it have been for rusty to drive the 07 jack Daniels car.

[@golf520man]

I would've loved that

[@coletricklejr.7083]

Would've bought the t-shirt immediately and liked him even more.

[@5allum]

Interesting that Rick would say something like that about young talent. He hired a young boy named Jeff Gordon. And a relatively young boy named Jimmie Johnson. And now he's got a young Chase Elliott and William Byron.

[@josephbalachick1879]

Great post thank you

[@ThirdGearSpeedShop]

Love hearing Rusty on MRN!!!

[@ivanmay7890]

One thing I like about Rusty Wallace is that he always comes off as a nice guy in interviews. It's obvious that Rusty took his racing career seriously.

[@UberIntruder]

Back when the sport had personalites, and they would say whatever they wanted, and not be afraid of getting fined, or lose a sponser

[@normandthibault7768]

Thank you Rusty ! We miss you !

[@chrisiglehart]

17 top 10's in his last season.

[@martinritch5241]

GREAT VIDEO. AND A GREAT SHOW.

[@jayryia]

Rusty Wallace: My favorite all time NASCAR driver. So wish I could meet him.

[@bellacullena.k.a.-katiemcc7513]

"I popped open a can of whoop ass!" That I'll never forget.

[@Chris-ey6rn]

Rusty - Dale - Jeff battle was great back in the day. Shame Rusty got pressured into hanging it up

[@JV-mw7gv]

Thx guys for the beer talk.

[@kennethburnett4547]

That was a good interview with rusty 👍♥️🤗

[@doniphan72ify]

Rusty Wallace by far my all time favorite driver!

[@MetalBuddhaHead]

My dad was a Dale Sr fan... I was a Rusty fan.... He was a Steelers fan.... I was a Cowboys fan.... He was Atlanta braves.... I was New York Yankees.... We argued a lot.... Lol...

[@WhitfieldshvacR333]

Lost speedways!! my late uncle owns a 26 acre cow pasture outside of a little town called Pageland South Carolina he passed that land down to my cousin and there’s an old race track on an old dirt track the announcer stand is still halfway standing a bunch of old tires and part of a wall but the legend is that Dale Senior raced their back in the 70s if you’re interested in checking out send me a message!

[@SimRacer2001]

my dad was heart broken when rusty retired in 05, kind of like how I was when jr retired. both had a few more good seasons left in them

[@chadbuckley3162]

Think he was trying to tell jr he made a mistake

[@WhistleTeets85]

Jr had those concussion issues tho, which aint nothing to mess with. Maybe he did make the right decision to get out when he did.

[@82ndAbnVet]

Jr HAD to retire when he did. The seriousness of his last two concussions dictated it. It was taking way too long to recover from them. As it is now, he probably has permanent brain damage that will severely impact him in later life. Another hard hit or two might have made him a vegetable.

[@2vcrew782]

I met Rusty up in the Pocono Mountains at Penns Peak he’s a decent guy

[@hoserhosfelt]

This is amazing.

[@shawnh9677]

7:21 Rustys expression "i have no clue what the hell he is talking about but im going to just go with it"

[@Mike-jr1vw]

Rusty will always be my fav driver

[@JSkunk3223]

Breaks my heart to hear this story. He still had many good years. That’s a hard thing to forgive yourself for. Damn Always go out own your on terms. Damnit Rusty

[@dgretlein]

Great stuff .... many of today’s NASCAR guys can’t just say it like it is. That is what made NASCAR great is that it is raw. Roger Penske will never the accolades he deserves.

[@7viewerlogic670]

good info

[@charliesmith5545]

Get Ernie Irvan on the show

[@mattrc1679]

Yes! He seems to be doing great these days too!

[@charliesmith5545]

@@mattrc1679 Ernie Irvan had one of the best/worst careers. Delt some bad hands, won Daytona, fell short at Indy, and nearly won a championship then almost lost it all. And had to make a choice to get out which was probably very wise.

[@mattrc1679]

Oh yeah I'm very familiar with his whole career.

[@shawngregory1429]

And Steve Lake.

[@evanwilliams6406]

Way better than getting Carrot Top on this show.

[@kristinmoore4624]

As a Gordon fan it was impossible to like Rusty, but I don't hate him anymore. I actually liked when he called races.

[@DixytheGoat9]

Wow Rusty looks like great wine damn Father time did good with him

[@polycube868]

He looks like he did when he retired from driving.

[@richhenretty67]

I have a miller light rusty jacket from when I was a kid I still have and I’d love to have it signed, even tho I have other things most won’t. But the jacket I need signed. Rusty was my driver growing up and as much as it hurts to hear why he retired I still respect him.

[@johnisaacdavis6172]

We talked about short tracks and we talk about road courses all that we want.... but I think the most exciting race of the season is the Eldora dirt Derby in the summer with the trucks.... Can we see the cars on dirt again in 2020??

[@KK-ex5zu]

I've always understood why Dale and Rusty had a beef with being in a multi car team. They were both struggling at times when both RCR and Penske were trying to compete with Roush and Hendrick on that multi car team level. That and both Earnhardt and Wallace came from that old school one car team model that had been the norm in Cup racing for decades at that point in the sport and at the time they had to have been thinking, "why aren't we as competitive as we used to be?" The new ingredient, the younger new teammates! I know at times Earnhardt and Mike Skinner had their differences but Newman and Wallace outright hated each other, Rusty was being nice about Ryan in this interview with Jr!

[@jeffosborne1147]

I use to not like rusty. But the more listen to him. He is a great guy and racer. Wish him best of luck in his life adventures.

[@brendan5722]

you guys should put the entire podcasts on KZbin

[@tigerbeforyou181]

I’d love to have Ward Burton featured on one of your podcasts. Great job too!

[@bbigjohnson069]

He talks without ever opening his mouth-amazing. How does Ward have a much heavier accent than Jeff?

[@MisterTwister88]

bbigjohnson069 I remember Jeff saying the accent difference was because when they were kids, Jeff’s bedroom was in the northern end of the house, and Wards was in the southern end 😀

[@doniphan72ify]

@@MisterTwister88 ... That's hilarious!

[@DaveMcLain]

When Rusty Wallace was a "young guy" he was learning from Larry Phillips. Because of that is one of the reasons he's so knowledgeable about a race car.

[@Genman510]

That’s ok Rusty we don’t want to lose you. I love to watch you race.

[@GhostRider-mm6ky]

My cousin got me Rustys autograph in Bristol before he past and i fucking lost the card broke my heart ❤️ too.. God bless ya Rusty you and Dale Jr my all time favorites

[@shawnbarczak1766]

Idk...I'm from Milwaukee, WI, and heard some stories of good old Rusty partying it up...granted I'm much younger and didn't get to experience any of it...however its still not as hard as Dick Trickle partying it up and still racing hard the morning and afternoon after...Sorry if this gets back to Rusty but going from what I've heard over the years.

[@adamredden2007]

Man.... this is a firm reminder of why I was a Rusty Fan all of my young life. From Kodiak to MGD to the Lite car. Dude's just straight up. I know he could be a bit annoying but he was DRIVER

[@orendz7740]

I think if Rusty would’ve stayed he could still win. He still had that competitive edge of a winner. It would’ve been awesome to get a few more years of Rusty driving the blue deuce. That would’ve been cool seeing Rusty go race with RCR.